Petals in the Snow
by Rare-Uploader
Summary: Sans has always felt that something was wrong in the Underground, and that nothing he did mattered. However, a mysterious figure returns to his life after an extended absence and explains what has been happening, and it all starts with an innocent-looking flower. It appears that Sans will have to actually try for once. Drama, humor, no slash, realism, mild language and violence.
1. Denial

Denial

Papyrus sat on the green sofa, drumming his fingers on one of his crossed arms impatiently. It was the fourth time this week that Sans had come home in the early hours of the morning, completely wasted from Grillby's.

The three other times, Papyrus had been peacefully sleeping when he was jerked awake by the loud slam of the front door. After that, Sans could be heard dragging his feet up the stairs, and then finally slamming his own bedroom door. Papyrus had complained, but to no avail.

The time on the clock near the door read _3:32 a.m._ Papyrus didn't have the luxury of lazing around, sleeping all day, and his bones felt heavy with fatigue. This new habit that Sans picked up had to end. Papyrus felt himself drifting off a little, but was jerked awake by the loud stomps of snow outside. Sans was home.

Sans jerked the front door open, grumbling to himself about something involving closing time and where Grillby could shove it, but was surprised, even through the thick fog of alcohol, that his older brother was waiting for him with a particularly naggy look on his face.

"Oh! Papyrus….I'm so happy to see you! But I'm really *_hic_* tired, so maybe I can… go to bed now?" Sans said, slurring his speech an obscene amount.

Papyrus stood up, towering over his brother, and not for the first time, was grateful for the extra height. It helped him to chide Sans more easily, after all. "Sans! Do you have any idea what time it is? What are you thinking, staying out this late? I was really worried!"

Sans squinted at his brother, obviously struggling to focus on him and simultaneously not collapse. "Hey, I'm...I'm fine! It's okay. Nothing to worry about…" He mumbled, trailing off.

"No, it obviously _isn't _okay. What's going on? You only used to do this every few months or so. This is the fourth night this week! You have to stop!" Papyrus had to get on one knee to be at an even height with Sans. "I'm really worried about you, brother." He said, more softly.

Sans just looked at him, swaying a bit. After a moment he said, "Don't need to be," and pushed past Papyrus, storming up the stairs. He got dizzy near the top, and had to clutch the banister, but eventually he staggered to the end of the hall, swung his door open, and kicked it shut behind him.

Papyrus knew something had to change.

* * *

Sans was rudely awakened by his younger brother tearing the makeshift curtains open from the window above his bed. Sans squinted up at him and grumbled, "Easy bro, I got a hangover here!"

Papyrus looked down at him and took a deep breath, preparing for his speech. "Sans, you are fortunate! Would you like to know why?"

"Um, I don't thi-"  
"Quiet Sans, don't interrupt me."

"Gotcha."

"You are fortunate, for today is Saturday! It is one of the two days that Undyne insisted that I 'relax' because she can't 'legally allow me to continue working as an honorary guardsman for 60 hours a week'. So, now you have two whole days to get your life back into shape, with I, the great Papyrus, carefully and lovingly guiding you along the way! Isn't that _wonderful_?"

Sans was getting worried. "Uh, what exactly are we talking about here?" he asked, fiddling with a loose string on his shirt.

"Well, despite my very best efforts, it would seem that I have failed you in the life management department!" (Sans winced at this, but couldn't argue) "So from now on, you are going to become a much happier, healthier monster! And that means NO MORE BEING LAZY!" Papyrus beamed.

Sans rubbed his eye sockets and knew he went too far by staying out so late. Maybe if he just apologized to Papyrus-

"And no amount of pleading, begging, apologizing, or bargaining can change my mind!" Papyrus said gleefully. Sans sighed. _Of course not. _

"Alright, brother! The first step to being happy and healthy is being CLEAN! So you are going to get off of your tailbone this instant and shower. I will kindly and thoroughly clean your room!"

"Paps I don't think that's necessary, my room's fine!"

This seemed to make Papyrus visibly skeptical, so Sans quit while he was (okay, not ahead, but maybe not _as_ behind as he could have been) and went to shower. When he got out, he wrapped a towel around himself and went to find his hoodie.  
Pushing open the door to his room was… surprising, to say the least. It smelled very clean. There were no papers or socks on the floor, and no tornado of garbage. The treadmill had been pushed to the left wall and the large green blanket on the bed untangled. It looked like a real room. _This is worse than I thought_.

He looked for his blue hoodie, but found only different sweaters and shirts; some of them he didn't even remember owning at all. Eventually, he stormily resigned himself to the fact that he would have to wear something else for the day. He pulled on a warm, gray sweater that looked like it had been hand knitted by someone's grandmother. It was really comfortable and not itchy. He also put on blue denim pants he found in his dresser.

Sans was no dummy. He knew that Papyrus was simply in a phase of wanting to help him, and if he just pretended to go along with it for a while, he could slowly slip back into being lazy, at least until the next RESET, at which point neither of them would remember this. _People don't really change anyway, _he reminded himself.

As he closed the door to his bedroom and stepped out into the hall, Sans sighed. He was too careless, staying out like that. A mistake that he would be careful not to make again.

"Brother, when we're done eating breakfast, we're going for a jog! Now come down here and help me!"

Sans groaned and slowly shuffled down the stairs. _What a shitty day_. His head was pounding from the hangover, and he didn't really feel like eating for once. In the kitchen Papyrus informed him that Sans himself would be making breakfast, and that he could make them anything he wanted (within reason and without being too lazy). Sans looked in the fridge.

Aside from the two racks of containers full of spaghetti, there was a half-used carton of eggs, a jar of mayonnaise, and some tomatoes. Sans saw a loaf of bread on the counter. "How about eggs and toast?"

"That sounds wonderful! I would also like to take the opportunity to compliment your change of outfit! You look rather nice when you aren't wearing _the exact same thing every day_." Papyrus said, only slightly passive-aggressively.

"Well, you know me! I'm not one to _yolk _around!" He said with a wink, cracking an egg into a bowl. "In fact, I'm serious as _shell!_"

Papyrus looked firmly ahead, not wanting to give Sans the satisfaction of annoying him. "I'm going to go check the mailbox. We're going to go through the mail you refuse to collect." The younger of the two turned on his heel and left.

Sans couldn't help but feel a little hurt. It was silly, he knew, but Papyrus ignoring his jokes was way less fun than Papyrus getting annoyed at his jokes. He finished cooking the eggs and served them up on two plates, not forgetting the toast. He cursed his height once again and carried the plates to the table as his baby brother came back inside. Oh joy.

About an hour later, after they'd finished eating and going through San's junk mail, Papyrus practically shoved him out the door and declared that they were now going for a jog. Sans hung his head. Aside from being depressingly out of shape, he had very short legs that couldn't keep up with Papyrus if they wanted to.

Noticing his brother's look of complete hopelessness, Papyrus nudged him. "Hey, it's okay! We're going to go for a run that is about half of what I usually do, and I don't expect you to run as fast as me. We all have to start somewhere!" Sans looked up and nodded.

* * *

_GODDAMMIT LIFE IS PAIN DEAR LORD LET ME DIE NOW I'M SO SORRY FOR EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER DONE HOLY HELL PLEASE JUST-_

"Still doing alright brother?" Papyrus asked cheerfully, a few strides ahead. Sans was a sweaty, panting mess, but he still managed to gasp, "I'm...fine!"

They had been running for about three minutes.

When they returned home, Sans was about an inch away from death's door. He staggered to the couch and face planted onto it, not remembering a time when he was more exhausted. He could feel the beautiful thing called "sleep" pulling him down, and he finally could rest-

"Brother! You can't sleep now! It's only five o'clock!" Papyrus shouted.

After their run, they had gone into town and bought noodles for dinner. Papyrus was placing them in the kitchen as he yelled to Sans. "Come help me make dinner, and then we can watch TV!"

Despite his exhaustion, Sans dug into his spaghetti greedily. It was so, so delicious, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it was only because he was so hungry. He had sort of boiled the noodles for too long. He was into his third bowl before he realized that Papyrus was sitting back, not eating and looking very dejected.

Sans wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said, "You uh, okay there, bro?"

Papyrus looked at Sans, and for once the usual confidence and bravado was nowhere to be found. It was just his brother. "Sans, did...did I fail you?" He asked, looking as if he was about to cry.

Sans felt really guilty then. _How could I be so selfish?_ he thought, but pushed it down and said, "Fail me? No way! You're the coolest brother I could have ever asked for! It's not your fault I'm so lazy, I guess it's just mine, heh. I'm older anyway, I should be the responsible… hey, it's okay!"

He noticed that Papyrus had put his head in his red mittened hands and was trying not to cry. He looked up, with a tearful expression on his face. "It's just… it's just that I always try to get you to do the right thing! I got you a job as a sentry, I try to keep you happy and fed, but you just get more and more down and sad and I don't know why! You never tell me anything, and I don't understand! We're brothers; you're supposed to let me know what you're feeling!"

Sans would be lying if he said that Papyrus' mood swings weren't random, and more than a little irritating. He looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, come on Papyrus, I'm-I'm not sad! I have you!"

He shrunk back a little when he saw Papyrus glaring at him. "You're doing it again!"

"Doing what?"

"LYING TO ME! You think I can't handle it or something! I can! Just tell me!"

"I can't tell you!" Sans shouted. He immediately regretted it. He didn't ever yell at Papyrus, even when they had serious arguments before. "Hey," he said, reaching out, but Papyrus backed up and said in a shaky voice that he was going to his room. Sans was left at the table with only himself and his thoughts.

After clearing the table and putting Papyrus's leftover food into a container in the fridge, he debated whether or not to try to read Papyrus a story. He wrestled with the idea for a solid ten minutes before he gently knocked on his brother's door. "Hey, uh, bro? I can read you a story if you want."

Papyrus didn't answer. Sans didn't blame him, but was still a little surprised anyway. The only time Sans _didn't_ read to his brother was when he was wasted (another pang of guilt) or…. huh. That was the only time, now that he considered it.

He went to his own room, closing the door silently. He took off his clothes, flinging them on the freshly vacuumed floor. No. He sighed, picked them up, folded them, and set them on his dresser. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The morning was gray and snow fell outside. It couldn't have been past seven or eight. The sun was an illusion here in Snowdin, and indeed the Underground as a whole. Everyone accepted that it was just magic that made the sky seem to light up as if it were real, but to this day, not even Sans knew who made it that way. He got dressed, a little pissed that he still couldn't find his hoodie or shorts, and made his way down the stairs.

A note was left on the table, by a different container of spaghetti than the one Sans had filled up yesterday. He picked it up.

Sans,

Even though I do not have work today, I thought I would go over to Undyne's and

watch anime with her and Alphys. I should be back home by dinnertime.

-Papyrus

Again, Sans' feelings were hurt by something that seemed trivial. Papyrus always wrote 'Love, your coolest brother!' whenever he left a note or wrote a card. Sans had really messed things up. He sighed heavily, letting the note fall gently back to its place on the table.

But when he looked over and noticed a sock with a pile of sticky-notes heaped on top of it, he grinned and made his way over.

* * *

"Come on, Papyrus! Don't look so down! We're gonna have an amazing anime binge-watching session!" Undyne punched Papyrus in the arm.

He chuckled joylessly and rubbed his arm. "It's just that… Sans is being so strange. He never yells at anyone, especially not me. I'm rather worried."

Undyne looked at her friend. "Hey, Paps, you are the most hardworking, diligent, responsible monster I know. You can't stand being idle, maybe even to a fault,"

Papyrus beamed with pride and sat a little taller.

"But Sans… well, he just isn't like that," Undyne continued. "Not to say he isn't cool or anything, but the two of you are different people. Er, so to speak. Maybe you can't really expect him to change that much."

"But anyone can change! Anyone can make themselves better than they are! Especially Sans! He's so smart and awesome, I know he can do it!" Papyrus said, clenching his fist in certainty.

Undyne sat back and put her arm around a suddenly very red Alphys. "I really hope so, buddy."

At about five in the afternoon, Papyrus wished Undyne and Alphys a pleasant day and thanked them for the 'human history lessons'. He decided to walk back home, thinking the exercise would clear his mind.

He checked his mailbox when he arrived in Snowdin, disappointed when nothing was in it. He took a deep breath before he opened the door. _If Sans is sleeping on the couch, I swear to God- _But upon opening the door, he saw that no one was home. The house was dark and quiet. Papyrus was a little sad that his brother wasn't there, and as he thought about it, heat built up into his cheeks and he slammed the door. He knew where Sans would be.

He threw open the door to Grillby's, and everyone stopped talking. The jukebox even seemed to get quieter. "Sans, we're going home! Pay for your food and let's go." He declared, his voice commanding attention all the way from the door. Sans was sitting, hunched over at the bar. There was a vacant stool to his right. He put down the hamburger he was working on and turned. "Sorry bro, but I'm not ready to leave yet. I ain't _well done_." He said, gesturing at his burger. There were a few chuckles.

"It's kind of a stretch!" Dogamy yelled. That got a few more laughs. Sans shrugged and took out a comb to brush his skull with. Normal conversation resumed, and it irked Papyrus that the whole town seemed to be full of bad examples for this brother.

Papyrus closed the door and made his way to the bar. "Sans, I must insist we leave. You've surely spoiled your appetite and-"

"Hey, don't call me Shirley!" Sans winked.

Papyrus looked at Grillby and said, "Please put it on his tab, which he will be paying in full tomorrow." He grabbed Sans by the sleeve and tried to pull him along, away from the bar. Sans gripped the counter.

"Hey Paps, I appreciate your enthusiasm for me to be at home, but I wanted to hang out here for a little bit more." Sans said, his light tone becoming harder to maintain.

Papyrus glowered down at him. "I think this place is a bad influence on you. We're going home." He yanked on Sans' arm, but maybe he did it a little too hard, because his older brother fell to the ground.

The bar quieted again. Sans groaned and checked his stats. He was sitting at 0.99 out of 1. He jerked his head up and glared at Papyrus, the whites of his eyes disappearing in rage. Papyrus was covering his mouth with his hand.

"I'm sorry, Sans! Are you alri-"

Sans just got up and stormed out. Papyrus sat there for a moment in stunned silence, and then followed him. The wind outside was blowing hard, and flecks of ice were mixed into the cold air. He called out after Sans, "I'm so sorry! I just wanted you to come home!"

Sans stopped walking and didn't turn around.

"I'm just worried about you! You don't seem to like doing anything!" Papyrus called as he trudged through the fresh snow behind his brother. He carefully, slowly touched Sans on the shoulder.

Then Sans turned around. He was smiling. Believe it or not, Sans' mouth _could_ open and close, and he didn't necessarily have to be grinning all the time. This smile seemed so genuine, it made Papyrus feel warm inside. Maybe Sans wasn't as angry at him as he thought.

"Paps, I'm gonna be going away for a night or two. Don't look for me, and don't worry. I'm going to be okay." Sans said, keeping that cheerful smile on his face.

Papyrus wasn't entirely sure what he was hearing. In an instant, Sans shook his shoulder hard enough to remove Papyrus' hand from it, and with a sound like a zipper mixed with velcro, he disappeared. Papyrus looked down in shock at the place where San's feet had been. The snow was already filling in the footsteps, leaving no trace that his brother had been there at all.

* * *

Sans reappeared in the western part of Snowdin Forest, close to the door of the Ruins. Teleporting that far would have once drained him of magic, forcing him to sleep for hours. But now, it just made him rub his eyes a little. Sans loved his brother more than anything, but his behavior was really pissing him off at the moment.

It was beginning to get dark in the forest. Dark, darker, yet darker. _Must be near six, _he thought. Papyrus would be looking for him, despite what Sans told him. So he stood up, dusted off his jeans, and wandered into the thick treeline of the forest. Papyrus was not eager to venture to this part of the woods for whatever reason.

Sans didn't really get cold. He got hot, especially when running, or in Hotland, but he didn't ever feel chilly. _One of the perks of being me. _He kept walking and the sky grew dimmer with each step. He stopped. "Alright buddy, you can stop following me now. Why don't you show yourself so we can have a little chat about not-" he turned, saw who was following him, and for the first time in his life felt chills.

* * *

Papyrus was frantically searching everywhere for his brother. He looked in town, in the house, in Sans' lab, even the shed. He called Undyne and Alphys, but they didn't know where he was. Alphys made a mental note to put more security cameras everywhere.

Papyrus checked Sans' post in the forest at no later than half past five, after he ran the whole way there. Nothing. He put his head in his hands. _How could I be so stupid? I kept bothering him and now he doesn't like me anymore…_

But there was no time to be thinking like that. He had to find his brother.

He returned home reluctantly, completely defeated, after the sky had been completely dark for several hours. No sign of his elder brother. He trudged up the stairs, and lingered in front of his own bedroom door. He turned his head and gazed down the hallway, looking at Sans' room. The magical flames were absent.

He entered, and saw that Sans had folded his clothes and placed them neatly on the dresser for once, instead of flinging them on the carpet. Papyrus felt awful. He picked up the clothes to wash them, and a notebook fell from the pocket of the pants. He looked down at it, not sure whether he should pick it up or not.

The cover was blue, like Sans' favorite hoodie that Papyrus had kept in his own closet for a few days, to encourage his older brother to actually change outfits for once. He curiously, slowly opened the first page. It was filled with boring, cramped math. Papyrus was terrible at math.

He turned the page to see an entire paragraph of RESET RESET RESET RESET RESET. The next page was the same. They were obviously all written at the same time like a mantra, instead of a way to count something. A bit like when someone got in trouble at school, which Papyrus had never done.

At the very last page, between pages and pages of RESET and equations, was a surprisingly good drawing of Papyrus. It said _COOLEST BROTHER EVER_ in sloppy handwriting. Papyrus closed the notebook, feeling guilty, and carefully replaced it on the dresser. He missed Sans already.


	2. Anger

Anger

"You…" Sans gasped, his mouth hanging open like a fish's. He stared across the small clearing where the other monster watched.

"(HELLO, SANS.)" Gaster said in a language that sounded like leaves rustling. He held up one of his unique hands in greeting.

Sans appeared at his side, trying to wrap his arms around the other monster, but they passed right through, and Gaster signed the word for 'sorry'. Sans backed up, a little embarrassed. He wiped his suspiciously wet eyes and said, "How are you here? I thought, with the accident at the CORE, and you… I thought you were dead." Sans had not noticed, but a black wall of energy had been built around them, keeping them completely hidden from anyone who may have wished to eavesdrop.

"(I THOUGHT SO TOO. BUT HOW I WAS ABLE TO RETURN IS SOMEWHAT IRRELEVANT. I APOLOGIZE, BUT I DO NOT HAVE MUCH TIME HERE.)" Gaster said. He looked awful, and Sans could see through him a bit. His skull was cracked and his hands bore two identical holes. Sans swallowed hard and nodded.

"(THERE HAS BEEN AN ANOMALY. ONLY NOW WAS I ABLE TO LOCATE IT. IT WAS HIDING ITS TRACKS SO WELL. ALTHOUGH, I WAS OUTSIDE OF THIS REALITY, AND THAT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE DIFFICULTY...)" It took Sans a moment to realize that he was supposed to respond. Right. Talking. He knew how to do that.

"Hold up, the anomaly is a real thing?! We were right? I have so many questions! Let me-" Sans was interrupted by Gaster holding up his hand again.

"(SANS. WE HAVE NOT MUCH TIME. THE ANOMALY ALWAYS BEGINS THE INCONSISTENCY AT THE SAME MOMENT IN TIME. NEVER BEFORE. AND IN TURN, IT NEVER ALLOWS THE UNIVERSE TO PASS A CERTAIN POINT. YOU MUST ALLOW THE TIMELINE TO CONTINUE NORMALLY. THIS SEQUENCE OF TIME HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO CONTINUE FOR FAR TOO LONG. MUCH LONGER, AND THE BALANCE BETWEEN TIME AND SPACE WILL BE STRAINED.)"

Sans' head was beginning to spin, both from translating Gaster and the knowledge he was expected to comprehend. He was relieved though, that he hadn't been apathetic and lazy for no reason; things _were _being reset. He looked up. "Who is it?"

Gaster said nothing for a moment. Sans saw his form flicker dangerously, and almost go out. ("BY MANIPULATING THE CODE, I AM ABLE TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF THESE RESETS WITH YOUR CONSCIOUS MIND FROM NOW ON...PRINCE ASRIEL HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A YELLOW FLOWER...YOU…END...RUN...)". Gaster was fading in and out. He suddenly disappeared all at once, leaving Sans alone in a completely dark forest.

Sans woke up in the morning with a crick in his neck and an ache in his back. Sleeping against a tree was nowhere near as comfortable as his own bed, and his anger at his brother had passed. Maybe it was time to go home. With a single thought, he materialized onto his own bed, but something was wrong when he got there.

There was a tornado once again, the collection of socks was sitting on the floor, and he had bumped into the green blob on his bed because he had expected it to be flattened. This was not the same room he had left yesterday. Well, it was, but not the one in the same timeline. He scrambled out of bed to check the date on his cell phone. It was a few months earlier than it should have been. Sans put his hand on his head.

_We've been living out MONTHS over and over again?!_ he thought frantically. This was really bad. Sans dropped the phone; only just then he remembered his chat with Gaster. _I have to find that yellow flower. It could be anywhere… although I've never seen one before that looked important, certainly not like a prince who has been dead for more than a decade. W.D. better give me another hint or something…_

Sans was startled by his bedroom door being opened. "Ah! There you are, dear brother!" Papyrus said cheerily as he entered the room.

_At least Paps isn't mad at me here._ Sans smiled and asked, "What's up?"

"Well, other than the pleasant surprise of you already being awake this early, it's another glorious day that a potential human could fall down into the Underground! We must be at our stations, so as to maximize the chance of catching them. Let's eat and be off!"

He swished his scarf dramatically, strode from the room, and Sans could hear him humming all the way down the stairs. Sans would never admit it to Papyrus, would barely even admit it to himself, but he much preferred his room being clean to...this. He took it in with a sigh and a resigned expression on his face. He liked the cleanliness but not the cleaning. Figured.

He saw his blue hoodie strewn across the floor, and went to pick it up. Less than an inch away from the fabric, he stopped. He went over to his dresser instead and found a black t-shirt that said BONE ZONE in big white letters. He decided to wear his normal shorts, though, and headed downstairs too.

"Brother! You're late! We're supposed to leave in three minutes! ...Interesting choice of attire." He said, looking tired of Sans and his antics. Sans shrugged and said, "Well, if the _shirt_ fits!"

Papyrus groaned and put his hand over his eyes. Sans' smile grew wider.

At his post, Sans glanced over at Papyrus. He was mumbling to himself and writing in a small notebook he kept in case he needed to get an eyewitness account or make 'future Royal Guard notes'.

Sans' head was propped up on his hands, and he started to feel a little sleepy. He was just barely nodding off as Papyrus screamed, "SANS!"

He looked over with a start.

"Sans, I am going to go calibrate one of my puzzles. Please remain here, and for the love of King Asgore, DO NOT FALL ASLEEP AT YOUR POST! See you later!" He ran off.

Sans sighed and stood up, pushing his chair in behind him. He stretched his arms and neck, popping joints here and there.

The walk to the door of the Ruins from his post didn't take long, even for a tiny little skeleton. Since Sans could only remember the last run, the one where Papyrus got mad at him and they fought, and this current one, he had no idea where that little flower could be. The Underground was, sadly, not a very large place when it came down to it, but maybe, just maybe, the woman on the other side of the door knew something he didn't.

He sat against the large, purple door and waited. He reached behind him and tapped on the door with white knuckles. After a moment, someone knocked back. He smiled. She was here.

"Knock knock." he said.

"Who's there?"

"Butter,"

"Butter who?"

"I really _butter _think of some good jokes soon."

She laughed, a whole, hearty, genuine sound that made him grin. She had a really beautiful laugh, and he could listen to it all day. He realized he was blushing a little, and shook his head.

"Your turn," he said.

"Okay, knock knock,"

"Who's there?"

"Dismay,"

"Dismay who?"

"_Dismay_ be a bad knock knock joke, but I bet you'll still laugh!" They laughed together. It occurred to Sans that he, unlike Papyrus, didn't think it was annoying when people laughed at their own jokes. They were _meant _to make people laugh, right?

They continued on like that for a good half hour, swapping knock knock jokes and other kinds before Sans said, "Hey, um, can I ask you a question?"

She noticed the tone in his voice and grew serious too. "Of course."

"Have you ever seen a little yellow flower around? Maybe um… one that can kinda… talk?" Sans knew as he said it that he sounded crazy.

She seemed lost in thought. "No… I can't say that I have? Have you?"

"No, but his name might be uh… Asriel? Like the prince?" Sans waited to hear a response for several moments. "Um, hello?"

"I have to go." There was the sound of receding footsteps, and then silence.

"Wait! I just…" Sans trailed off, knowing she was gone. _Great. I piss off two of my favorite people in two days. Nice goin', bonehead_. Oh, well. She wouldn't be mad at him for long. With one RESET, she would forget all of this.

This inactivity continued for a few RESETS. None of them lasted for more than a few days, which seemed odd. Once, Sans had been in the shower when things were RESET, and suddenly he was standing in the exact same place, but without any water on. The RESETS seemed to completely not affect him, which was good, he supposed. No one else noticed him appearing suddenly. He'd asked the lady behind the door if she knew any golden flowers or where they grew, but this time used different wording, and she said that one of her old friends told her that King Asgore grew them.

A teleport to Asgore's castle in the dead of night had given Sans no information. Yes, there were golden flowers there, but they weren't talking, none of them seemed like they could RESET, and he didn't want to make Asgore angry. Asgore was scary even to Sans when he was angry.

So, at yet another dinner, as Papyrus talked to Sans about his day and how a barking snow poff had stolen one of his puzzle pieces, Sans drifted in and out of paying attention. He went for a sip of water and suddenly remembered something that seemed crucial, vital, so important that he couldn't believe he forgot about it until now.

He gasped as he was drinking and immediately spat water from his nose, his mouth, and he thought maybe even a little came out of his eye sockets. He was coughing and sputtering and Papyrus was shocked, but in between the complaints and questions about whether Sans was alright, Sans choked out, "You...flower...talk to…*cough*… right?"

Papyrus looked thoroughly befuddled. "If I'm right about what you're asking, then yes, Sans, I _do _occasionally have a friendly conversation with a little golden flower, fittingly named 'Flowey', but I've told you that before and I don't see why that's any reason for you to nearly drown and I…" Sans stopped listening to Papyrus. That was it! That was the anomaly! All this time it had been right under his nose! (metaphorically) He felt really stupid, but ignored the feeling for now.

"Paps look, I really have to meet him, okay?" Sans said.

"Hmmm, why? You've never wanted to meet him before." Papyrus said, looking suspicious.

A terrible realization suddenly dawned on Sans. That flower was currently the single most powerful monster in the entire Underground because it could do something that no one else could. It could RESET. Despite Gaster's gift, Sans was completely unable to have any effect on the timeline other than remembering the previous ones.

So if Sans _did_ meet him, he would have to meet the flower and play it extremely cool, not betraying any of the knowledge he possessed. Even though Sans was without a doubt, one hundred and ten percent sure that there were no other talking golden flowers in the Underground, he had to meet this 'Flowey' and judge for himself how to stop him before trying anything too drastic. _Call me a cautious old skeleton,_ Sans thought.

"I just really want to meet the little guy who's made my favorite brother so happy!" Sans said, forcing a grin.

Papyrus didn't notice this white lie and brightened up. "Well, of course you can meet him, then! I'm so happy! He only usually talks to me during the day, so tomorrow?"

"Perfect." The elder brother replied, still smiling tightly.

Sans lay on his bare mattress, for once unable to sleep. Tomorrow was an extremely important day. If he made a mistake, there would be no going back. Flowey would be able to RESET as much as he wanted and punish Sans and Papyrus for… well, forever. And Sans would be the only one of the skeletons who would remember why. Little bastard. It made Sans wonder how many times that little weed had come after them, how many times it had killed his baby brother.

He pushed the green clump of blankets away from him, and suddenly remembered how nice it felt to sleep on a bed with sheets, blankets, and an actual pillow. Maybe Papyrus _had _somehow gotten through to him, if only a little. He went to work, untangling the separate pieces of cloth and arranging them straight on the bed. It looked a little sloppy, but it was infinitely better than sleeping on nothing.

He pulled the blankets over himself and felt warm and comfy. His eyelids felt heavy, and he smiled. Maybe it _was _worth the effort, at least sometimes.

"(SANS.)" A voice crackled quietly from the far corner of the room. Sans was immediately sitting straight up, hand aimed toward the sound. A volley of bones had formed in the air, sharp points aimed at whoever had spoken. He let his hand fall, and the bones turned into smoke when he saw it was only Gaster.

"Shit, you scared the hell outta me! What's _wrong _with you?!" Sans clutched the area of his chest where his SOUL lived, safely behind his ribcage. "Don't do that!"

"(I WAS A BIT SURPRISED AT YOU, AS WELL, SANS.)" Gaster said, speaking as much with his voice as he was gesturing and signing with his deformed hands.

"Me? What did _I _do?"

"(NAMELY, YOUR FAILURE TO REALIZE WHO I WAS REFERRING TO IN ANY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.)"

"Hey, look, I had completely forgotten about Papyrus talking about that flower. He never actually did in these last few runs, you know. It must have been from a while ago. Before, I mean."

Gaster said nothing.

"Why are you here now?" Sans asked, feeling a little stupid. He didn't like feeling stupid, obviously.

"(YOU HAVE NO DOUBT REALIZED THE TREMENDOUS WEIGHT THAT RESTS UPON YOUR SHOULDERS. YOU WILL NEED TO PRETEND THAT YOU ARE UNAWARE OF RESETS IN ANY FORM.)" Gaster said.

"Yeah, duh, I know that already." Sans said, rolling his eyes. "I'm not _THAT _stupid."

"(PERHAPS YOU MISUNDERSTAND. THE ANOMALY SEEMS TO HAVE PICKED UP ON MY TRACKING. IT IS ALREADY SOMEWHAT SUSPICIOUS. I HAVE BEEN WATCHING IT FROM MY PLANE OF EXISTENCE. WHAT I MEAN IS: IT IS AWARE THAT SOMEONE IS TRYING TO END ITS ABILITY TO HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER THIS UNIVERSE. IF YOU SHOW UP OUT OF NOWHERE, WANTING TO BE FRIENDLY, IT WILL BEGIN TO SUSPECT YOU.)"

"What can I do?" Sans asked.

"(YOU NEED TO MAKE IT TRUST YOUR COMPLACENCE. YOUR APATHY. YOUR IGNORANCE. IF IT COMPLETELY BELIEVES THAT YOU ARE WORTHLESS, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SURPRISE IT EVENTUALLY. BUT THAT WILL COME FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD THAN TOMORROW, I AM AFRAID. UNFORTUNATE, FOR WE ARE STILL RUNNING OUT OF TIME.)"

"So, how do I prove that? Do I let it kill me? Do I… let it kill Papyrus?" He was suddenly afraid. He wasn't sure if he could stand watching his brother die and not doing anything. But Sans was a very good actor. And it wasn't like Papyrus would _stay _dead. Flowey would definitely RESET at some point. It would be okay. Somehow. Right?

"(IT SEEMS YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER TO THOSE QUESTIONS. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU ALSO REMEMBER TO CHANGE YOUR LOCATION WHEN THE TIMELINE RESETS. ACTUALLY, I WILL REMOVE YOUR ABILITY TO BE PHYSICALLY UNAFFECTED BY THE RESETS, NOW THAT YOU HAVE LOCATED THE FLOWER.)"

Gaster began to very imperceptibly flicker. His magic was already draining very low, but he did what he said. Sans felt no different, but Gaster looked… less visible when he was done.

"Can I ask, just how long have we been here? How many RESETS have we gone through?" Sans asked in a quiet voice.

Gaster thought, and said, "(LONG ENOUGH. I MUST GO NOW, SANS. MAINTAINING THIS POCKET OF SPACE AND KEEPING MYSELF CORPOREAL ENOUGH FOR CONVERSATION IS NO EASY TASK. PLEASE REMEMBER WHAT I'VE TOLD YOU. AND I - I HAVE COMPLETE FAITH IN YOU. DO NOT FAIL, FOR EVERYONE'S SAKE.)" As jarringly as he had appeared, W.D. Gaster was gone.

Sans couldn't sleep after that.

* * *

Papyrus and Sans were in one of Waterfall's many coves filled with shimmering crystals. Sans wore his blue hoodie, for appearance's sake, and Papyrus was busy calling out to Flowey. The pit of anxiety and nervousness had grown into a chasm in Sans' SOUL. He was very worried about how this meeting would go.

"Sorry, Sans, I guess Flowey isn't around today. Maybe tomorrow." Papyrus said, putting his hand on Sans' shoulder and turning to leave. Sans was immensely relieved, until he heard a little voice speak up from behind them.

"Howdy, Papyrus! Oh gosh, I'm so sorry I kept you waiting! Well well well, is this the magnificent Sans that I've heard so much about?" Flowey chirped in a nauseatingly false voice. It was like someone dumped a pound of sugar into a gallon of honey. Sans hated him already.

"Yup! This is my coolest older brother, Sans!" Papyrus gently nudged Sans forward and grinned.

"Hey there. I heard about how you and Papyrus were getting along so well, and I just wanted to thank you. Even just meeting you now, I can see why you two are best _buds_." Sans said with a small wink.

For a terrible moment Flowey didn't say anything, didn't move an inch, and Sans was sure he hadn't been convincing enough. But then, Flowey laughed a nasty little laugh and said, "Oh, I get it! That's funny, Sans! Your brother told me all about how you're a comedian! That's so nice!"

Sans chuckled briefly and relaxed a little. Flowey looked up at him sweetly. "Do you know what else is funny?"

Sans didn't let his worry bleed through, and asked, "What's that?"

Keeping that same sweet look on his face, Flowey grew a long, thorny tendril and let it burst up from the soil. In no time flat it was wrapped around Papyrus' neck, lifting him up into the air.

"The way Papyrus begs and pleads for mercy." Flowey chuckled.

It appeared that Flowey was sadistic by nature. He didn't have a reason to be kind when he could make everyone forget what he was doing. Sans heard Gaster's words in the back of his mind. He had to pretend like he was weak and stupid. He had to let himself and his brother die. It would be okay. It had to be.

Sans put on his best shocked face (honestly, not hard to do) and said in a slightly dopey voice that he didn't recognize; "Flowey, what are you doing? I thought you and Papyrus were friends!"

Flowey laughed and said nothing. Papyrus was begging him to let go; it was getting hard to breathe. Flowey regarded Papyrus with open indifference as he smashed his skull open on the wall of the cave.

Sans' vision went red. He could hear his SOUL thumping with rage, and he wanted so badly to kill this little weed. But he just collapsed and buried his head in his hands. Acting weak was easier than he thought. He looked up just in time to see his brother turn into dust.

"Tut tut, Sans. You're next, and you only have… what's this? ONE health point? ONE?! ...Ah yes, actually, now that I think of it, I _do _remember that about you, you little weakling. I stopped playing with you so long ago, I had nearly forgotten you existed! Did you know that Undyne can take a few _deadly _hits and keep on coming? Wow!" Flowey seemed to realize he was getting off topic. "Anyway, I think that I will only need… hm… _one _friendliness pellet to finish you off! How pathetic! Prepare to die, Sans the skeleton."

Sans closed his eyes just before the pellet struck him-

And woke up in his own bed. Checking the time on his phone confirmed the RESET. He didn't remember feeling any pain as he died. He dashed down the hall and threw open Papyrus' door, only to find his little brother putting on the last of his battle body.

"Sans, what are you doing? Don't you know to _knock_ when someone's getting dressed?!"

"Heh, sorry, I just thought I heard you call for help. I'll go back to my room now, bye!" He said hurriedly and closed the door to his own room. _Okay. We're fine. We're okay. We've probably died countless times before now and we just didn't remember. I need to get it together. He's going to come see if I remember him. I have to be convincing._

"Sans, get your lazy tailbone down here! We have to go watch for potential humans!" His brother called.

Stepping outside, Sans started to feel a little… chilled. He zipped up his hoodie and stuck his hands deep into his pockets, but it didn't help. As they turned to go, a little yellow flower popped up from the snow in front of them, blocking their path.

"Howdy! How are you today, Papyrus?" Without waiting for Papyrus to respond, Flowey turned his attention to Sans. "Ohh, is this your older brother? I've heard so much about you!" He said in mock kindness.

Sans gritted his teeth together while the flower was speaking, but let his natural charisma do the work when he had to reply. "That's me, Sans the skeleton, at your service! I can tell that a friendship might be _blooming_ between us already!"

_I HATE YOU SO MUCH YOU LITTLE FUCKER I HATE THAT I HAVE TO BE NICE AND LIE AND NOT RIP THE PETALS FROM YOUR SCREAMING HEAD I HATE YOU I HATE Y-_

"You're a funny one, Sans! I do love jokes. Take your brother Papyrus, for instance." Flowey grabbed Papyrus with several vines and began to drag him into the ground, pulling deeper and deeper, not even slowing upon hearing the skeleton's bones cracking.

"Flowey! What are you doing?! LET ME GO!" Papyrus' screaming got louder as the cracking sounds got louder.

"Isn't he a sad little joke, Sans? Isn't it cute, the way he screams in pain?" Flowey laughed.

Sans gasped and fell backwards, clicking his teeth together as he hit the ground. He aimed a finger at Flowey. "Y-you let my brother go! Or I'll, I'll…"

"You'll do nothing. You're weak, and stupid, and worthless." A vine shot out and grabbed Sans by weaving in and out of his ribs. It was agonizingly painful, and being dragged towards Flowey felt no better. Flowey brought Sans right to his face and crooned softly into his ear; "But we both know that isn't entirely true, is it? You know more than you're letting on, don't you? We both know that all you want to do is attack me. So do it. Show us what you're made of."

This. This was perhaps the defining moment. Sans had to make it look really good. Flowey threw Sans into the snow hard, about twenty feet away from where he was. Sans focused, and made his left eye glow a brilliant blue. He acted like he was charging up a huge attack, and flung his hand in front of him, yelling to get more power.

Five small bones bounced harmlessly off of one of Flowey's vines. Flowey looked slightly confused. Then he sighed. "What do I expect from someone who has _one _attack point?" He snapped Papyrus' neck, then did the same to Sans.

Sans woke up, hands at his throat. _Holy shit_, he thought. _How can I keep this up? How long will it take to convince Flowey that I'm not the one behind the plan to kill him? _These thoughts turned endlessly end over end, and Papyrus calling him from downstairs couldn't clear the fog in his mind.


	3. Bargaining

Bargaining

Dr. Alphys yawned and stretched, enjoying the sound of the bones in her spine and neck as they popped. She sat up, amidst the collection of weeks of used instant ramen packets. There was more work to do today. She was going to have to finish her robot sooner or later.

She stood up, and groaned. Her back and legs were sore from disuse, and her head hurt terribly from hours of watching anime. She stepped onto the escalator to the second floor of her lab and rubbed her eyes under her glasses. As she neared the top, her lab grew darker. She glanced around nervously, hunching over, and she looked more like a real reptile than a scientist.

As she approached the top, it looked like there was a black fog around her, with about ten feet of space in it. Another form materialized at the opposite edge from her. It started from the ground up, moving slowly. A dark robe, two hands, white as bone, with a large hole in the middle of each, until the head appeared: destroyed, mangled, yet still somehow familiar.

Alphys gasped and clutched her hands to her mouth, too petrified to speak. As she watched, the thing opened its own mouth and began to speak.

Its' voice sounded like a nightmare. It cracked and twisted this way and that, winding itself around her eardrum, not allowing itself to be ignored. When it was done, Alphys squinted one eye open and looked at it.

"U-um… I'm s-s-sorry but I can't uh, understand y-you?" She stuttered more than usual, petrified of the creature standing before her.

It looked almost bored as it spoke again, this time, the words appearing over its head as something resembling magical subtitles. In another circumstance, it might have been almost funny.

"(DOCTOR ALPHYS. WE DO NOT HAVE MUCH TIME. I AM THE FORMER ROYAL SCIENTIST, DR. W.D. GASTER. PLEASE DO NOT INTERRUPT. I HAVE SOMETHING I NEED TO ASK OF YOU, AND I NEED TO KNOW IF I CAN TRUST YOUR JUDGEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE. SCIENTIST TO SCIENTIST.)"

Alphys straightened up a tiny bit and tried to stop shaking. At least, for the moment, she didn't seem to be in any immediate danger. She nodded and waited for him to speak again.

* * *

"Howdy Papyrus! And if my eyes don't deceive me, this is your older brother, Sans! Golly, how nice it is to finally meet you for the first time!" Flowey said with a wide smile on his face.

Sans grinned even wider and said, "Is this the flower you're always telling me about, Paps? I don't think I've ever 'seed' him around before! Nice to meet you." Yeah, a little bit of a stretch, but this scummy, shit-eating flower didn't deserve good jokes.

As Papyrus started talking about how they would always hang out, Sans' mind wandered against his will.

He had 'met' Flowey about thirty or forty other times now. Each time, their deaths had been surprisingly quick. Every single day, he watched as his little brother was decapitated, crushed, and once or twice, pulled apart. Every day, Sans knew it was his fault.

He guessed that Flowey was trying to make him crack (for once, no pun intended). But Sans could wait forever if it meant the RESETS would finally stop.

"Alright, well, I won't keep you two! Make sure you catch any humans that might fall into the Underground! Have a good day!" Flowey sang and disappeared into the ground.

Huh. That was new.

"He's right brother, you slept for so long that we're going to be late! Let's hurry!"

At his post, Sans began to feel that coldness again. Perfect. Just as he was thinking that he had never been cold, he started to feel it. He wrapped his hoodie tighter around him and closed his eyes tightly. There was no way that Flowey wasn't watching his every move right now. Sans sighed.

He wanted nothing more just then than to go to the door of the Ruins and laugh and joke with the woman within, but he obviously couldn't do that at the moment. Flowey would kill her over and over again, too.

Sans couldn't handle any more than this as it was. This sentry duty was boring stuff. Maybe he would have to get some extra jobs later. But hey, who was he kidding? He was one lazy skeleton.

He opened his eyes and scrambled to look alert as he heard Papyrus jogging up to his station. "Hello, Sans! I've noticed that you haven't recalibrated your puzzles recently. Would you like to do that now?"

_Perfect_, Sans thought. _No way to seem more lazy and useless than refusing to do what Papyrus wants. _

"Well, I think my puzzles are good enough, bro. They _are _already tough enough to _die _for, ya know." Sans said.

"Sans! Awful pun aside, your puzzles aren't deadly at all! They're basically games!"

"Yeah, but they're 'bored' games. Heh, get it? You might die of boredom. Pretty risky, huh?" Sans grinned, trying hard not to think about Papyrus' skull being smashed open. These thoughts and memories plagued him constantly. He was already pretty screwed up, it seemed.

"Well, fine! If you don't want to catch the human when it comes through eventually, then I will just have to make _my _puzzles extra good! Nyeh heh heh!" He ran off again.

Sans watched him go. He shook his head and smiled to himself. As apathetic as he was, Papyrus was twice as energetic. He felt, perhaps, just a little jealous.

"He's a cool guy, isn't he?" A voice said from behind him. Sans jumped a little, but quickly regained his composure and turned to face the speaker. Of course it was that little weed.

"Oh, hey Flower. Yeah, my bro sure is awesome! I wish I had his energy, heh." Sans said, struggling to keep his tone upbeat.

"Actually, it's Flowey. Which you should know by now," Flowey said, a little less sweetly.

"Ah, sorry! I'm just an old bonehead, I guess. Terrible with names."

Flowey said nothing, scrutinizing Sans' face carefully. When he seemed to find nothing of concern, he went right back into the act. "Well, that's all right! Hey, you seem cool, too! Maybe just as cool as Papyrus! That is, if you know any cool magic tricks you can show me."

"Sorry, bud, I don't really have a lot of skill with magic, or… life. You should ask my brother, he loves to perform for people!" Sans was starting to get worried. Where was this going?

"Come on, I have an idea for a little game! Are you up for it?" Flowey asked, a dark glint in his eyes.

"Um, maybe? I'm not too good at games." Sans said.

"Well, let me tell you the rules, and we'll get started from there. Okay? Just hold on a sec."

Flowey disappeared. Sans waited for a few minutes, getting more and more confused. Eventually, he saw that Papyrus was coming back this way. _Oh shit. _

Flowey reappeared just as Papyrus reached Sans. "Ah, everyone's here. How nice! Now we can begin."

Flowey grew to monstrous size, with different leaves and vines popping out of the snow and reaching up. They snaked over and snatched Papyrus up, grabbing him by the ribcage, collarbones, and neck, and they wound themselves in and out of his bones.

"Wha- Flowey, put me down! This hurts!" Papyrus yelled.

Flowey shook him violently. "Be quiet, you pathetic idiot. Well, Sans, are you ready to play our game?"

Sans was already on his feet, and vines grew around him too, but they only poked up about a foot or so, winding around each other, making a short barrier that trapped him in it. He clenched his fists and glared at the monstrosity before him.

"Aw, don't give me that look. Alright, here's the rules; you will do various magic feats that I tell you to do. You will do them perfectly, and for each time you make a mistake, or pretend you can't, I will break another of your brother's bones! And he has no shortage of them, from the looks of it. Are you ready?" Flowey asked.

When Sans didn't say anything, Flowey continued. "I will take that as a yes! Ok, first of all, I want you to free yourself from the vines at your feet, okay? Go!"

Sans looked down and exhaled, closing his eyes. He held out his arm a little, and six small bones broke through the ground, stabbing perfectly through the vines. They did so little damage, however, that Flowey just threw back his head and laughed. "That's ridiculous!" he called. "Ah, but for your effort, I will not harm your brother. At least not for this turn. Next! I want you to do it again, but this time with twice as much damage!"

Sans made up his face to look worried. "I, um, I'm not good at magic, I don't know if I ca-"

"Aw, are you nervous? No need to be! Watch this!" Flowey made a new vine creep along Papyrus' tibia. "I thought I told you the rules so carefully! ...Well, I guess it can't be helped."

He began wrapping around the bone, once at the top, and once at the bottom, and simply twisted.

Sans winced as the chilly air was filled with Papyrus' scream. It broke the silence of the forest, and suddenly Sans didn't think he could keep this up anymore.

"Now, Sans, let's try this again!" Flowey said over Papyrus' quiet sobbing. "Twice as much power! No less, and no more! Go!"

As soon as Flowey finished talking, Sans made twelve bones stab through the weed's tendrils. He kept eye contact with Flowey, and the anger must have shown on his face.

"My, my! Well done! It seems you _can _be obedient after all! Shall we continue?"

* * *

Gaster watched Sans and Papyrus' ordeal from far away, masking his magic signature and keeping well hidden. It saddened him, the fact that he couldn't do anything to stop this, that Sans had to be so strong and keep up the facade. But already, Flowey was basically an unstoppable creature. Without completely, wholly believing that Sans was weak, lazy and useless, they stood no chance of surprising him, let alone overriding the DT from him.

Killing him would do absolutely nothing because Flowey's powers denied that possibility. Why try to kill him when he could just RESET and undo it? No, to try to do it that way wouldn't work, and would waste even more time. Gaster would soon be able to end this constant torture, but for now, Sans had to be strong.

* * *

They had been at this sick little game for several hours now, and Sans was careful not to seem too powerful, or too aware. Flowey had broken only two more of Papyrus' bones. Sans was breathing heavily, and although he was certainly holding back, the toll of such constant magic use was beginning to wear on him. The entire forest was littered with bones and dead vines.

Flowey looked at Sans with false pity. "What, are you tired? We haven't been at this for long, you know!"

Sans, fell to his knees. Despite the frigid temperature outside, beads of sweat were collecting on his skull and running down his back. He looked up at Flowey with pure hatred on his face.

Flowey sighed as if he was bored and said in a falsely disappointed voice, "Alright, I _guess_ we can stop for this run. Because you did so well, I'll give you the rest of the day with your brother before I RESET. Have fun relaxing!" Flowey vanished into the ground, and let Papyrus fall to the earth.

Sans barely caught his brother, who was very injured and completely exhausted. Sans cradled Papyrus' head and finally felt himself cry. Papyrus' stats weren't good; he was at a dangerous 2/20 HP. His eyes were closed and he only slightly opened them when he heard his brother's voice.

"Paps, it's gonna be okay, I'll heal you, it's alright," Sans closed his eyes and tried to collect every ounce of magic he had left. Sans was usually good at healing magic, but obeying Flowey's commands completely drained his power.

He kept trying to close the wounds and mend the broken bones, but only little sparks flashed out here and there, doing absolutely nothing. Papyrus winced and groaned. The pain was draining his HP even as they sat there. And out of no where, Sans had a horrible thought. What if Flowey _didn't _RESET? What if he knew, despite Sans' best efforts, that Sans was more powerful than he let on?

What if Flowey let Papyrus die and _never brought him back?_ Sans would not allow even the possibility. He struggled to lift his brother, and managed to do so through sheer will. He turned and sprinted faster than he ever had to the door that blocked the way to the Ruins, dragging Papyrus' body behind him. When he had reached it, he leaned Papyrus gently against the wall and banged on the door.

After about two solid minutes of knocking, the familiar voice appeared. "My goodness, friend, are you alri-"

"Lady, please help me! My brother got hurt, and I can't heal him. I think he's going to die an-" Sans' voice broke, and he stopped talking.

There was a split second of silence, and then Sans backed up as one half of the door slowly opened out. A tall figure stepped into the snowy forest.

Her white fur matched her surroundings, and there was no mistaking her. She was Toriel, once the Queen of the Underground. Sans' closed his mouth realizing it was hanging open. _I've been telling the _Queen _knock-knock jokes?! _

Toriel smiled at him, and Sans' barely remembered why he dragged his brother all the way there.

"Please heal him," He said, kneeling down next to Papyrus and taking his hand. He was unconscious now, and some of his bones were at odd angles.

She put her hand over her mouth when she saw him. "What on earth happened?" She too, knelt down and put both hands over Papyrus' SOUL. She shut her eyes and golden colored light flashed around the three of them in arcs.

Sans had never seen any healing magic that was even half of hers. Papyrus' bones straightened and the cracks disappeared almost instantly, and while Sans watched, his HP skyrocketed from 0.5 all the way back to 20. When she was done and the light faded, she put both hands on the sides of her forehead.

He looked up at her with concern. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yes, I just… have not used that much healing magic in a long time. Your brother looks exhausted. If you wish, we can bring him to my home to let him rest for a bit."

"Oh, uh, okay. I mean, that sounds good." Sans sighed, and he was definitely _not _his usual, smooth self. This day had been too painful for him to be articulate.

She gently picked Papyrus up in her arms and carried him, like a child, through the open half of the door. Sans followed her, and shut the door behind them.

Queen Toriel's house was much simpler and more comfortable than he would have expected for the Queen of the Underground. He was sitting at her table, not slouching for once. She was in the kitchen, and something smelled delicious. Sans had actually forgotten what being able to relax felt like, at least partially. There were dark circles under the dark circles beneath his eyes.

Flowey had been tormenting him and Papyrus for what felt like years. Sans had endured so much since he had met Gaster in the woods that night, the same one where he'd had that little tantrum and stormed away from home. _I was so selfish. Is this my punishment? _

He glanced over at his brother guiltily, who was sleeping peacefully in an armchair that seemed far too large for him. He couldn't help but feel completely responsible for what had happened today. _If it takes a hundred years, I'm gonna tear that little weed's petals out one by one, and I'll crush him under my foot. _

"Alright! Here you are, my friend. Sorry about the wait!" Queen Toriel brought out two plates with her, and set one in front of Sans.

He started to say, "Don't worry!" But it just kind of turned into gibberish as he looked at the plate before him.

His mouth started to water just from looking at it. It was a delicious-looking piece of pie that smelled like butterscotch and cinnamon. Wisps of steam curled from the inside, showing off its freshness. He had never eaten anything like it; most of the food he and his brother made was either spaghetti or something Sans threw together at Papyrus' insistence. Grillby's didn't have dessert, either.

"I'm glad I had the urge to bake a pie today! I usually don't, so count yourself lucky." She said smiling, and picked up her fork. Sans quickly followed suit, and took a small bite, so as not to seem rude. The fork glided through the pie as if it were made of liquid, but the filling held its shape. As he put it in his mouth, it seemed to melt on his tongue.

It was probably the best thing he had ever eaten. He took another bite that was considerably bigger, and then another after that.

Queen Toriel looked at her guest with a teasing expression on her face. "Come on, it's not _that_ good! It's just a normal pie recipe!"

Sans shook his head. "It's the most delicious food I've ever had in my entire life."

She laughed when she saw that he'd already cleaned his plate. "Well then, would you like another slice?"

Sans looked torn between not wanting to be rude and really wanting another piece, so she made the decision for him and went to cut him an extra large slice. She brought it back out and grinned. It was nice to meet her friend like this, face to face.

"Oh! I only just remembered that we haven't properly introduced ourselves yet!" She said. "I'm sorry, I've forgotten my manners! I am Toriel, but you may call me Tori."

He nodded and smiled, "I didn't let it get my _goat_. My name is Sans. His name is Papyrus."

Between her giggles, she said, "It's nice to finally meet you."

There was a peaceful feeling in the house as they all finished off their cinnamon-butterscotch dessert.


	4. Depression

Depression

Papyrus shifted and woke up slowly. He sat up, not knowing quite where he was, and then he remembered the pain, but little else. His hands immediately felt his arm, which was no longer broken, and then his ribs. They were all there.

A very pleasant aroma hung in the air, but for now all that mattered was finding his brother. He heard his voice. Papyrus looked over and saw Sans sitting at a table, eating something and smiling.

"Brother?" He called, and his voice was uncharacteristically raw. Sans started, and the happy, relaxed expression he wore turned to pure worry. He hurried over to Papyrus' side.

"Hey Pap," Sans said, putting his hand over his brother's. "I brought you to my friend Toriel's house. She healed you. You uh, got hurt."

When Papyrus tried to jump to his feet, Sans held him down. "It's okay! No one's not going to bother us."

"Why are we here? What happened, Sans?"

Sans looked down. "...You had a bad fall. You're okay, though."

Papyrus looked as if he was going to start weeping, and pulled Sans in for a hug. He sniffled against his hoodie and finally let him go. Toriel was now at his side, too. "Hello," she said, putting a comforting hand on Papyrus' shoulder, "I am Toriel. I hope you are not too disoriented, waking up in a strange house like this."

Papyrus, thankfully, was not completely freaking out about talking to the former queen of the Underground. Sans was counting on his brothers' natural politeness, and was not disappointed.

"It is very nice to meet you, ma'am! I would like to take this moment to convey my gratitude for your assistance earlier… thank you." Papyrus said, starting the sentence off with his typical confidence, but ending it with a more genuine tone.

She smiled and said, "No doubt you would also care for a piece of cinnamon-butterscotch pie? Your brother really seemed to like it!"

Papyrus also looked conflicted, and when Sans nodded, he said, "Well, only if it wouldn't be too much trouble, ma'am."

"It's no trouble at all! You may call me Toriel if you like," she said, winking. She disappeared into the kitchen.

Papyrus and Sans sat there in silence. This time, it was Sans who pulled his brother in for the hug. He clutched him tightly, maybe even too tightly, given his recently healed injuries, but Papyrus hugged him just as hard. They stayed like that until Toriel brought back Papyrus' plate.

"Here you are, dear."

"Thank you very much, Toriel." Papyrus sat with them and took a bite. He immediately declared that spaghetti was no longer his favorite food.

They kept chatting at the table for about an hour. Sans felt safe for the first time in months.

Toriel looked at the time with her phone, and she had to squint to read the numbers. "Oh, it's already nearly eight o' clock. You boys should hurry home!"

Sans really didn't want to go back to his house and sleep, knowing that everything would either start over again tomorrow, or they would be killed on the way back. Either way, the end result was the same, and Sans was not a fan of the options.

However, he could not ask to stay with Papyrus at Toriel's house. For one, it would be weird, and for another, Sans looked and felt terrible. So he sighed, stood up, and helped Papyrus do the same.

Toriel walked with them, but she remained inside the ruins once they were outside of the open door. "It's always so wonderful to have company! Please come by any time!" She said in a warm voice.

"Thank you so much for your generosity, Ms. Toriel. My brother and I are eternally grateful to you," Papyrus announced, bending in a surprisingly smooth bow.

"Yeah, thanks for everything, Tori." Sans smiled and winked at her.

The two brothers turned, hoping to reach home before it got too late. Well, one of them hoped. The other knew that it really didn't matter. Both Sans and Papyrus were completely oblivious of the small, yellow flower that was watching them from afar.

* * *

"...and the rabbit returned home to his family, happier than ever before." Sans finished, closing the book. He stood to return it to the shelf, but Papyrus caught his hand.

"Sans?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Did I really fall? The pain seems foggy now, but so, so real at the same time. I… I'm not going crazy, right?" Papyrus sounded like a small child. Sans' chest tightened.

He had a chance now. He had an opportunity to finally let Papyrus in on something, and let him feel included. He bit where his lip would have been, if he had one. Someone else could know about what he'd been going through. At last, he maybe wouldn't have to suffer alone.

He opened his mouth;

"Yeah, you fell when you were trying to solve one of your puzzles. You broke a bunch of bones."

His brother didn't look convinced.

"Sans?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you sleep in here tonight? Your bed is awful,"

"Of course." Sans put the book on the floor instead of walking to the shelf. He crawled in, making sure not to kick Papyrus in the head like the last time he'd done this, which was honestly like, two years ago, even though his brother still reminded him about it sometimes.

Papyrus turned off the light, and pressed his forehead to his brother's.

"Are you sure I'm not crazy?"

"I'm positive."

"Promise?"

Sans paused. Everything was about to be RESET anyway, so it didn't really matter what he said, when it got down to it. Right?

"I promise."

* * *

Flowey could see into the skeletons' room from the hill he had popped up from. He laughed. Aww, are the widdle skewetons sweeping in the same bed? How nice! Despite his natural skill at reading monsters, and the experience he'd gathered after being in control of the Underground, Flowey was still somewhat unsure about the shorter, fatter skeleton. If he was acting, he was very good, and he had kept it up for an impossibly long time.

But something about him screamed intelligence and power. In other timelines, Flowey had fought that skeleton, but his power level seemed to be largely based off of his opponent's LOVE and their EXP. He also had never mentioned RESETS or the ability to time travel. But as of this moment, it didn't matter. That was a 'tomorrow problem', as his mother… as Toriel called it.

For tonight, Flowey decided to let the brothers rest a little. They would certainly need it.

* * *

Alphys had been awake for about four solid days now, after only sleeping in sporadic bursts over the last week and a half. Currently, she was fidgeting with this part and that, testing the device, and running simulations for every possible outcome. She wiped her brow and grabbed a socket wrench from her toolbox. Ever since Dr. Gaster had come to her and requested that she make this, she had felt completely focused and useful.

Her experiments with the DT before had been complete failures. But maybe this could make up for it, at least a little. She was finally done. She sat back and admired her work.

In a single yellow beam of light from the lamp above sat a strange-looking device. It looked like a mitten, built for a left hand, and a rather small one at that, but it was made of shiny metal with wires and buttons on it. She had tested it and run simulation after simulation, and there seemed to be no possible thing that could go wrong. As she began to doze off, a dark haze filled the already dim room.

"(DOCTOR ALPHYS, I SEE YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE REQUEST I MADE. IN FACT, YOU FINISHED IT BEFORE I THOUGHT YOU WOULD. ARE YOU CERTAIN THAT IT WILL WORK?)" Gaster asked, moving to see the device from different angles.

"Oh! Y-yes! I'm sure." She said, adjusting her glasses.

"(THERE IS QUITE A LOT RIDING ON THIS,)" He said, turning his gaze to her slowly. "(ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU ARE TRULY FINISHED?)"

She gulped. But really, there was nothing more to do. "I-I-I'm sure," she said, stuttering as confidently as she could.

His focus remained on her for a moment more, and finally, he turned away. With one of his ivory hands, he took the metal glove and slipped it into his cloak. Or was it a robe? Alphys couldn't tell.

"(ALPHYS. YOU HAVE DONE GOOD WORK. I COMMEND YOU FOR THE EFFORT YOU EXPENDED TO COMPLETE MY REQUEST. WHEN THE TIMELINE RESETS, YOU WILL STILL REMEMBER THIS CONVERSATION, SO I THANK YOU.)"

Alphys nodded, "It was the least I could do."

"(GOODBYE, ALPHYS.)"

The room returned to its standard din, and Alphys' head promptly struck the worktable after he was gone. Sleep at last.

* * *

Sans woke up in his own bed and growled in frustration. Papyrus and Toriel wouldn't remember yesterday at all. Which, he supposed, was ultimately for the best. He sat up and got dressed, but he threw his dirty clothes on the floor. Nothing mattered, anyway. He briefly considered wearing his blue hoodie, but decided he couldn't stand looking at it and cast it aside.

He saw Papyrus downstairs and bid him good morning.

"Good morning to you too, brother!" Papyrus cheerfully said. Sans turned to exit the house, holding the door open behind him so that Papyrus could leave too. They were well into the forest before either spoke.

"That cinnamon butterscotch pie sure was amazing, wasn't it, brother?" Papyrus asked wistfully.

Sans froze in his tracks.

"You know, the one your friend Toriel made? Wasn't it delicious?"

Flowey hadn't RESET?!

"Uh, Paps, did you carry me back to my bed?" Sans asked, growing more anxious.

"Well, you were having a terrible nightmare, and you kept kicking and hitting me. Sorry, Sans," he said, looking guilty.

"No, it's okay! I'm just… I need a second." Sans felt like everything was spinning. _That little weed is planning something awful. I just know it._

"Howdy, friends!" _Speak of the devil._

Slowly, as if he was in a horror movie, Sans turned to the little golden bloom. "Flowey."

"That's right! I'm so pleased that you remembered it correctly this time!" Flowey chirped.

Papyrus slowly gripped Sans' arm through his jacket. Sans looked up at his younger brother. Papyrus' face was stony, cold, and completely unlike him. So, he knows it wasn't a fall. He knows I lied...

"Well, I don't want to be rude, pal, but my bro and I are heading to work. Sadly, we have to be on time, so we'll be going now." Sans lead Papyrus away from Flowey, keeping himself in between them.

Sans heard the crack of underground roots racing behind them and brought up a weak-looking wall of blue bones. The vines stopped. For now.

"Ah! Such a welcome surprise to see that you've been getting better!" Flowey said. He used one of his vines to scratch his face.

"Now Sans, we both know that your power is directly affected by the EXP of the monster you're fighting," Flowey paused for effect. "So I'm thinking; what if I were to kill every single monster in the entire Underground and fight you? That should give me an idea of how powerful you are!"

Sans decided to play dumb. "That's not true. I can't do that much damage, no matter what." He said, still keeping Papyrus behind him.

"Stupidity is such an unattractive trait, you know. That's why I'll be starting with your brother!"

More and more vines erupted from the ground than Sans could count. They coiled in the air, posed to strike all at once. Sans looked back at Papyrus, and then closed his eyes.

"Let's begin!" The vines all leapt forth instantly, making a whistling noise as they flew through the air. Powdered snow rose in a great cloud, obscuring everyone.

As the snow settled down, a protective cage of bones was surrounding the two skeletons. Around that was a massive ring of blue ones. Not a single vine had landed. Flowey withdrew, genuinely surprised. Though, it didn't last long.

"Wow! Was I wrong? Does the EXP not matter? Please tell me!" Flowey looked like he had just seen someone he hated get punched in the face. He looked psychotically manic.

Sans looked at Flowey, sneering. "I honestly don't know what causes it to be strong or weak. Though, your LOVE is only at 1, so I'd guess that isn't it."

Flowey shifted, looking lost in thought. There he remained for several moments.

"I've got it!" Flowey cried. "Your magic level relies entirely on, for lack of a better word, the determination to kill your enemy, much more so than for normal monsters. It must be the trade-off for your pathetically weak HP!" Flowey seemed to dance around. "I've figured it out!"

The two brothers said nothing.

"Since I know how powerful you can be now, potentially limitless, as long as your desire to kill is strong enough, all that's left to do is find out how much you know about my powers." Flowey beamed.

"I'm sure you can feed a lot of butterflies," Sans offered.

Flowey grew even larger, and thorns burst from the vines he made. He didn't say a word as he attacked the brothers.

* * *

Gaster watched from a good distance away, mostly invisible. This was bad. Flowey was more intelligent than he'd feared, and they were slowly running out of time with each RESET. But Sans was doing everything right.

Alphys had taken several RESETS to build the device needed to defeat Asriel, even with sleeping as little as she could and Gaster's help. Without Sans keeping him fully occupied, Flowey would have sensed the presence of something extremely powerful. He felt the glove in his pocket. Shortly, he would have to go to Sans and explain what had to be done.

Gaster had been trapped in a pocket dimension after the accident with the CORE. He had been flung across time and space, and finally locked in a tiny bubble where he technically didn't even exist. Returning to the real world like this was extremely taxing, and he was beginning to realize that many more visits, and he would have a harder and harder time of coming back.

But that was beside the point. Sans needed help. And they were so nearly out of time. Gaster struggled to remain in this dimension.

* * *

He isn't going to RESET for a long time. He's interested. Sans thought as he dodged attacks and tried to protect Papyrus as much as possible. They had been battling Flowey for a little over an hour now, and Sans was starting to slightly fatigue. As he watched, one lucky vine made it through the defenses he and his brother were maintaining, and it struck Papyrus right through the ribcage. He cried out.

"You two can't dodge forever! Sans, you'll have to tell me eventually." Flowey lifted Papyrus and flung him into the ground, hard. Papyrus was at 10 HP. Sans had to do something, but he didn't know what it was.

He stood and watched Flowey with an angry expression that could melt steel. "I don't know anything! You know that, right?"

"As much as you love to play a moron, I know better, comedian." The hold on Papyrus increased until he was choking and gasping. He cried out to Sans after several of his ribs groaned and cracked apart.

"Nothing to say?" Flowey asked.

Sans didn't know what to do, and put his hands over his eyes. Just then, a familiar, dark voice whispered into his mind, and there was an abrupt weight on his left hand. The presence left as abruptly as it arrived.

Sans slowly opened his eyes and looked directly at Papyrus, trying to remember each part of his face. "...No."

Sans bit back tears as Flowey sighed and crushed Papyrus' skull like it was a piece of glass and he found he couldn't look anymore.

"If you want me to bring your brother back, admit what you know. If you do, I'll grant you a RESET like a good boy. But then, I'll know it was you that tracked me down! Win-win! For me, at least." Flowey's face shifted, looking sharper and more evil than Sans had ever seen.

Sans didn't respond. As the weight of the metal on his hand slowly lightened, he could feel it attaching to his magic reserves, becoming almost a part of him. Slowly, he saw four rectangles appear, floating in the air in front of Flowey. To Sans, they were backwards, but he could still read them.

FIGHT ACT ITEM MERCY

Behind Flowey, two more buttons sat, waiting to be needed.

CONTINUE RESET

Sans started talking. He only wanted to distract Flowey into letting his defenses down, even for just a moment. "I know I'm bored of living out the same life. But I at least I always had Papyrus. You don't have anyone. You don't deserve anyone. Not friends, and especially not family."

Flowey frowned as Sans focused on the RESET button and raised his left hand to activate it. "You deserved to die, Asriel."

Sans used all of his energy to magically press the RESET button.

But nothing happened.

* * *

Sans looked down at his hand in panic. Flowey looked behind himself, and as realization dawned on his face, he laughed. "Even with your little toy, I AM STILL MADE OF DETERMINATION. YOU CANNOT OVERPOWER MY WILL!"

He began to laugh and was cut off by a magical spear sinking into his face. "HEY ASSHOLE!" a familiar voice screamed at the top of her lungs. Sans and Flowey whirled around in shock.

Undyne, Alphys, a strange-looking robot, and the entirety of the Royal Guard was standing on the hill overlooking the clearing they'd been fighting in. A dark shadow took form in front of all of them. He smiled and waved at Sans.

"ATTENTION, ROYAL GUARD! ATTACK! FOR PAPYRUS!" Undyne bellowed and raised a fresh spear. Everyone else, except for Alphys of course, also raised their weapons and charged.

Sans ran to Gaster. "What are we going to do? I don't think this reality can handle many more RESETS!" he said.

"(THAT IS CORRECT. IT CANNOT HANDLE ANY MORE, IN FACT. IF YOU HAD BEEN ABLE TO RESET, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. BUT I KNEW YOU COULDN'T; THE GLOVE WAS NOT MADE FOR THAT."

Gaster looked at Sans.

"BEFORE YOUR BROTHER'S SOUL WAS LOST, I MANAGED TO PULL IT INTO THE POCKET DIMENSION WHERE I HAVE BEEN EXISTING. HE IS NOT TRULY GONE.)" Gaster said, and his crackling voice was full of what sounded like grief, despite the good news.

"Why do you sound so bummed out?" Sans asked, smile fading.

"(...YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO TRY TO SAVE. YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO OVERRIDE ASRIEL'S DETERMINATION LEVEL. IF YOU DO NOT, THIS REALITY WILL CEASE TO EXIST…. AND PAPYRUS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RETURN.)"

"What?!"

"(AS LONG AS YOU OVERRIDE THE SAVE FILE, I WILL BE ABLE TO BRING HIM BACK. BUT SHOULD YOU FAIL, HE WILL NO LONGER EXIST WITHIN THE UNIVERSE, NOR WILL YOU, NOR I. NO MATTER WHERE WE GO, THIS UNIVERSE WILL COLLAPSE, AND US INSIDE IT."

"So no pressure, got it," Sans said, watching the battle for a second before asking, "Did I screw up? Did I even need to pretend I didn't know, pretend that I was weak?"

"(HAD YOU NOT DISTRACTED ASRIEL, THERE WOULD BE NO HOPE OF OVERRIDING. NOW, HE IS CERTAIN HE CANNOT BE BEATEN, AND THUS WILL NOT RESET. IT IS REGRETTABLE THAT YOU WERE FORCED TO SHOULDER THE BURDEN I GAVE YOU, BUT YOU WERE SO STRONG… I'M PROUD OF YOU.)"

Sans looked up in surprise. Gaster had been a bit reserved with praise when he was still in their lives so long ago. Not that he was mean, or neglectful. He simply knew that his sons were aware of how much he loved them.

Sans took a deep breath. "I better go help them. Thank you."

"(OF COURSE, SANS. I BELIEVE IN YOU.)" W.D Gaster affirmed as he faded away.

Sans turned to the battle and collected the very last of his remaining magic. This was going to be difficult.

Undyne was breathing heavily. She was having a surprisingly hard time defending from Flowey's constant attacks. She sent volley after volley of spears at the giant weed, but they didn't seem to be doing much on the surface. Each time she checked his health though, it was quite a bit lower after the damage she dealt.

All of the dogs were there, doing their share of damage as well. Dogamy and Dogaressa swung their axes at precisely-timed moments, keeping the other safe while they attacked.

Guards 1 and 2 fought together just as well, working hard not to be distracted. Sans felt something like pride for the monsters in the Underground who were so willing to fight for something that they probably didn't even understand entirely yet.

As the monsters worked together, chipping away at his HP, Flowey grew more desperate and less careful. There were too many of them, but Flowey was also too proud to RESET. He hadn't had such a challenge in years. He could handle this.

But his veins and thorns were falling off faster than he could regrow them, and his petals were hanging loose around his sweaty face. Suddenly, something orange loomed in the corner of his vision.

He didn't even have enough time to turn to see what it was before the enormous fireball slammed into his face. He yelled in agony, reeling, as everyone, monster and flower alike turned to see who had cast it.

Queen Toriel lowered her hands and winked at Sans. "Hopefully that was too hot for him to handle!" she giggled. He looked at her with pure admiration. Flowey was still screaming in pain, and as he straightened himself, they could see why.

Half of his face was completely melted and the petals were black.

Tears seemed to be flowing reflexively from the melted eye. "YOU _BITCH_!"

Everyone seemed to remember why they were there and resumed their attacks with new resolve.

Sans called up his Gaster Blasters, dozens of them, that aimed and fired so rapidly that Flowey simply couldn't avoid them. They circled around, taking their turns, slowly chipping away at his health.

A wild tendril almost hit Sans square in the ribcage, but Toriel cast a fireball that disintegrated it. Flowey was in terrible shape now, with his face melted and numerous parts of his body made up of broken, charred limbs. No one on their side had taken serious damage, by some miracle.

Snow, magic, and blood flew through the frigid air, adding color to the drab white landscape. It was mesmerizing, and Sans felt the world quiet. The sounds of battle grew muffled and distant. His pain and worry fell away, and he shut his eyes. A thousand different memories danced in and out of his mind.

_He was opening a birthday gift from his father. He was making dinner with Papyrus, and laughing when they spilled a few of the noodles. He was reading a book about space on a quiet evening where the crystals high above shone just like stars._

A few other memories were more painful, but no less beautiful;

_He and his brother were now alone in the world, but they still had each other. He wiped away the tears from Papyrus' cheeks and promised he would take care of him forever. No matter what, he would never let anything happen to his baby brother. He picked him up and -_

_suddenly Papyrus was taller than him, and Sans realized he wasn't a little kid anymore. Papyrus put his hand on Sans' head and said, "Look! I knew I would be taller than you one day!"_

Sans opened his eyes through hot tears and felt his mouth crack into a smile, but he clenched his fists when a voice no louder than a whisper echoed in his head.

_"...Sans. You can do it. You're so much smarter than me…_

_You can do anything."_

He could almost see his brother standing there, smiling at him. Sans slowly came back to the world, and dried his eyes. He could do this.

He looked down at the device on his hand, and tightened his fist. A hundred other visions of his friends flashed before his eyes, and he held his arm above his head.

"Hey, Flowey!" he called.

As if it was a dream, everyone stopped and looked at Sans. Even Flowey quit yelling and thrashing around, if only for a moment. That was all Sans needed.

"_Burn in hell_." Sans opened his fist, and finally, after years of pain and resetting, after endless torture and grief, felt the **DETERMINATION** flow through his bones, and he **SAVED**.


	5. Acceptance

Acceptance

Flowey roared, an ugly sound of pure rage. Desperately, he pounded away at the RESET button, but to no avail. He didn't notice that all of the monsters were charging up their strongest attacks simultaneously.

Undyne bellowed, "NOW!" and they all fired.

Flowey's body was basically reduced to ash and piles of torn vines under the stress from all of the magic, both his own and the abuse he'd been taking, and as he fell to the ground, the melted half of his face was obscured.

There were torn petals in the snow.

Toriel checked his stats. 0/6000 HP. He looked up at her and smiled weakly. "I made a mistake…"

She knelt beside his head and carefully put her hand on his cheek. He looked at her with a single frightened eye, and neither of them spoke again as he turned to dust.

However, Asriel's last moments looked somewhat different to him. He saw a young human, his sibling in fact, running away from him playfully in a garden full of flowers. They looked back, and called out to him to join them. He looked down, and his hands were his own again. They were soft and white, and there was no sign of any thorns or stems. The human called once more, and he smiled and ran after them.

His SOUL rose from the pile of dust, shattered, and faded away. Toriel felt a keen sense of loss that she didn't understand, and only the weak cough that came from a few yards away jolted her out of her daze. She turned her head sharply, only to see Sans lying on the ground. He had his eyes closed, but was still breathing, albeit shallowly.

When Toriel appeared at his side, he squinted one eye open and smiled. "That was an 'a pollen' fight." he mumbled slowly, his grin never once leaving his face. "Not my best pun, I know…"

Toriel's eyes were wet. She placed her hand on his jawbone gently. The other monsters gathered around, some of them letting out sobs or gasps.

He looked around at all of them, enjoying the feeling of seeing people who cared for him. He coughed, and now that Toriel watched, he was beginning to look melted, like wax over a flame. "Thank you all so much for your bravery… and I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that I could make a difference..."

Alphys did an awkward little run up to his side as well. She didn't seem to notice what was going on.

"Sans! I saw on the security cameras what was happening and I called Undyne and..." She trailed off in shock, realizing what was happening. "Wait, I didn't think that… that it would have been too much! I thought that the glove would h-have absorbed the repercussions of power from the DT…!"

Sans chuckled, looking less solid by the minute. "It's not your fault, Alphys."

Toriel asked Alphys if there was any way to heal him. She shook her head. DT was simply too much for a monster's SOUL to handle. Sans coughed again and his eyes lost focus.

"Papyrus…." he rattled, "...I'm sorry."

He melted into nothing, and a bit of dust mingled with the snow before it was gone.

Sans' SOUL rose through the air, exactly as Flowey's had done, but instead of shattering, it turned black, and moved towards the treeline.

Gaster and a darker, translucent version of Papyrus appeared out of thin air. Gaster had caught the SOUL in his mangled hands and clutched it to his chest. With nothing more than a single nod to everyone there, Gaster and Papyrus and faded into nothingness.

* * *

The shadowy versions of Gaster, Papyrus, and Sans were all waiting in Alphys's Lab as she ran last minute calculations and showed her work to Gaster, who nodded. It was dark. The lights had been switched off to conserve as much energy as possible.

"I've worked t-tirelessly for weeks now, and I think I've m-m-made a breakthrough. All we need for you to have corporeal bodies again is your souls, this device, and magically-created organic matter. I've s-supplied the matter and finished the device. Who wants to go first?"

No one volunteered. Alphys sighed. "Sans, you're the smallest, why don't we try it on you?"

"Wow, thanks. I feel so loved." He crackled, rolling his black eyes. He glided into the machine and waited for Alphys to shut the door.

"I would say t-this won't hurt, but I h-have no idea." She said, adjusting her glasses. He felt slightly worried now. Well, extremely worried. But Gaster and Papyrus both gave him the thumbs-up, so he just tried to relax and not run away screaming. Or float, as it were.

"Alright, beginning sequence in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!" On one, she jerked down the lever on the wall next to the machine. Electricity crackled up and down the metal and glass tube Sans was 'standing' in. He felt pain that began in his feet and slowly worked its way up to his head. It started out small, but when it reached his pelvic bone, he was clenching his teeth to keep from crying out.

As it got to his skull, he was screaming in pain. Alphys, panicked, looked to Gaster for advice but he just shook his head. ("DON'T STOP. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE PROCESS ISN'T ALLOWED TO FINISH.)" She nodded and tried to ignore Sans' pleas.

The whole thing took about two minutes, but if you asked Sans, he would have said it took hours. Due to the change in the perception of time caused by interdimensional shifting, it was technically not wrong for him to think it took that long.

The chamber quieted eventually, and the door hissed open. Sans was standing there with a complete, new, physical body. He was entirely naked, and he swayed inside the tube. He suddenly pitched forward and it was all Alphys could do to prevent his skull from smashing into the metal ground. She gently turned him onto his back and quietly asked, "Sans?"

He was motionless. Alphys looked up at Gaster and Papyrus, horrified. Papyrus had clapped both hands over his mouth. Gaster looked down silently. He was impossible to read. Sans finally coughed and shifted in her arms. He opened his eyes and winced, not used to even the tiny amount of light present in the room.

He took in his surroundings and grinned at Alphys. "Not that I don't appreciate being held up by a pretty girl like you, but maybe you should take me to dinner first, huh?" He winked, and she let go quickly. He stopped himself from hitting the floor and stood up. "Well… that didn't feel great…. Hey, you got a cloth or something, doc?"

She blushed, only just realizing for the first time that he was naked and what that meant. It didn't really count, as he was only bones, but still. She had made special temporary clothes for each of them, like what you would find in hospitals. After extracting the smallest robe from a drawer, she handed it to him without making eye contact.

"(WELL DONE, ALPHYS. I WAS NOT ENTIRELY CERTAIN OF YOUR ABILITIES, AFTER THE GLOVE YOU BUILT THAT CAUSED MY SON TO MELT.)" Gaster said, leaning down to scowl at her better. He was almost completely see-through, and his voice sounded tinny and metallic.

She blushed harder and looked down. "I-I don't know what happened, I was so careful! It doesn't make any sense…"

"Actually, I have something to say about that." Sans mumbled softly, not looking at any of them.

There was a long pause until he spoke next. "...I didn't really...want to come back." He noticed Papyrus' face and said the rest quickly, like he was about to be interrupted. "I was really tired and stressed out, I guess. I was determined enough to kill Flowey, but after that, I wasn't determined enough to keep fighting to stay here."

Gaster said nothing, while Papyrus looked like he was about three seconds away from weeping. "What do you mean? You won! You saved everyone!"

"Hey, it's okay, Papyrus, it doesn't mean I don't want to come back now. I guess… I just got caught up in the moment. It had been a long day. Like… a long day" Sans smiled at him, and he guessed it looked pretty weak. He wiped his eye sockets with the back of his hand and said, "Well, I know how hard it is to stay in this plane of existence. Why don't you get in?"

"Alright. Then I'm going to give you a hug, Sans! When we get home, we'll talk more!" Papyrus glided confidently up to the chamber. He looked nervously at his brother after a few seconds. "Does it hurt terribly?" He asked.

Sans recently decided that he was going to start being more honest with Papyrus. Dammit, why couldn't he have promised after this?

"Well…" he saw Papyrus' worried face and said quickly, "Yeah, so it hurts like a bitch. But that ain't nothin' for the great Papyrus, right?"

Papyrus puffed up his translucent ribcage and nodded. "Of course not! I shall handle it with grace and restraint! Start it up, doctor!"

Papyrus screamed bloody murder the entire time. When the door hissed open, he stomped out, put his robe on and hissed "Not. A. Word." to his brother. Then he hugged him tightly, and it was the most spiteful hug Sans had ever received.

Alphys cleared her throat. "Well, t-then, Dr. Gaster, are you ready?"

He nodded and reappeared in the chamber. Sans could barely see him. She closed the door and made her way back to the monitor. "Beginning in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!" As it had twice before, the chamber began shaking and crackling with energy and magic. Gaster took the pain better than the two younger skeletons. He didn't scream out loud, as much as he would have liked to.

He also stepped out when it was finished and turned to Alphys after putting on his robe. "(THANK YOU, ALPHYS. I HAD GROWN WEARY OF PHYSICAL NON-EXISTENCE.)" He looked at his two sons, who were grinning from cheek to cheek. "(WHAT? WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU TWO?)"

Sans gestured at his hand and Papyrus pointed to his own face. Gaster froze, and slowly examined his hands. The holes were gone, and he felt his cheek and forehead, which were also smooth. He smiled, despite himself, and even let out an astonished chuckle. "(I HAD FEARED THAT I WOULD BE MUTILATED FOREVER,)" He said quietly.

Papyrus nearly tackled his father with a hug, and while Sans was a little less violent, he clung just as tightly. Gaster was surprised by this contact. After all, it had been years since he'd been solid enough to touch, but he smiled and enjoyed the moment.

They all let go and agreed simultaneously that it was time for them to go home.

"S-so I'll need you all to come in for the next few weeks so that I can monitor your condition and check for any changes. I think we're good, b-b-but I want to be certain." Alphys said nervously.

"We won't be late!" Papyrus promised.

"And we definitely won't be early," Sans added.

They waved goodbye and resigned themselves to the fact that they were going to have to walk home wearing green hospital gowns like lab rats… which they kind of were. But still.

After they'd thought their father was dead, Sans and Papyrus had boxed up all of his clothes and personal effects and packed them into boxes, which they moved up to the attic and largely tried to forget about. Actually, what were they going to do now that Gaster was back? They only had two rooms!

When Papyrus opened the door to their house, it seemed like years since anyone had gone inside. The silence seemed heavy. Papyrus and Gaster let down the ladder to get into the attic, and Sans excused himself to find some real clothes.

His room was exactly the way he left it a few weeks ago, yet it felt very foreign. There was a fine layer of dust on nearly everything. It didn't feel to him like he'd been gone very long. He was still happy to be home, but he felt a certain sense of worry, like it was all going to vanish. He tried to shake those thoughts away, and felt like he succeeded until his foot brushed against the blue hoodie that was laying on the floor.

His face shifted from surprised to pissed off, and he kicked the hoodie against the wall. It felt good to let his anger out, but he wasn't done yet. Sans picked it up and threw it against the opposite wall, really hard. He felt hot tears in his eyes and a pinch in the back of his throat, and the fact that he was crying only made him more angry.

He fell to his knees and realized how stupid it was to be abusing an article of clothing like this. Obviously, he wasn't actually angry at the hoodie. He picked it up and sobbed into it for a little while, desperately trying to keep the memories of Papyrus and himself dying out of his mind.

He sat there for the better part of twenty minutes, trying to get everything out that he'd been keeping in for such a long time. It didn't help that he'd had a rather traumatic experience earlier that day, what with getting a new body and all. When he was finally done, he shuffled over to his dresser and found a big, dark gray pullover that said MADE IN SNOWDIN. With that and some blue pajama pants, he felt considerably better. Except...

He looked around at his furniture and messes. This wasn't good enough. He pushed his treadmill to the left side of the room, cleaned up the socks, dispelled the tornado, and made his bed properly. He considered going to Papyrus' room to ask where the vacuum was, and then decided that he would do it tomorrow. Baby steps.

For now, they decided that Gaster would sleep on the couch, and eventually they would figure something out. Each of them was exhausted. They gathered at the dining room table and sat there in silence. Gaster was wearing a t-shirt that Sans had bought for him that said DAD TO THE BONE. Sans was too exhausted to appreciate it at the moment.

"Welp, do you guys wanna go to Grillby's? I'm buyin'." Sans asked tiredly, half-joking, half-serious. It was eight-thirty at night, and they had no other food in the house. Gaster and Papyrus looked at each other, shrugged, and stood up. Sans also slid out of his chair, but was taken aback slightly. They all put their shoes on and made the quick walk to Grillby's, despite the fact that they were in pajamas and looked disheveled.

When Papyrus opened the door to the restaurant, everyone stopped eating and looked over in silence. Then they erupted into cheers and surged forward, forgetting their half-eaten plates of food and card games.

"Well done, Sans!"

"You were really brave, Papyrus!"

"I'm so happy that you're back, Sans!"

Gaster slunk away from the crowd and quietly reached the bar. "(HELLO, OLD FRIEND.)" He greeted the monster behind the counter. Grillby burned brighter and looked as shocked as fire possibly could have.

"Gaster? I thought… well, we all thought that…" he sighed, not used to feeling so scattered. "I'm glad to see you again."

Gaster turned and leaned his elbows on the counter of the bar so he could face the door. The crowd of ecstatic monsters was still showering compliments and adoration on his two sons, making Gaster feel very proud, and not for the first time since they'd been reunited.

"(GRILLBY? CAN WE GET THREE HAMBURGERS WITH PLENTY OF FRIES?)" he asked.

Grillby nodded warmly (heh, get it?) and disappeared into the kitchen to fill the request. Gaster noticed how happy Papyrus looked to finally be getting attention from his fellow monsters, and how even Sans was genuinely opening up and talking. It made him feel happy and sad at the same time.

Asriel had done approximately 3,000 RESETS during his time in control of the Underground. The time-traveling powers could not compensate for the natural progression of time in the universe, however. Basically, even though Asriel could control the chain of events within the Underground, he could not RESET before a certain amount of time, perhaps a few months. It was hard to understand, harder to explain, and Gaster supposed it didn't really matter now, anyway.

He had been forced to watch his children grow up from a place unknown to time. To himself, he had been able to figure out how to move between dimensions and help other SOULS the awareness needed to remember events from alternate timelines rather quickly. But to Sans and Papyrus, their father had been absent for much of their lives.

He sighed. I have a lot of time to make up for.

The group finally dispersed and his children joined him at the bar.

"Well, I'm glad that so many monsters are finally realizing that I, the Great Papyrus, am utterly deserving of their praise and shows of affection!"

Gaster raised an eyebrow. "(AND HOW HUMBLE YOU ARE, AS WELL,)" he teased.

"Yes, I am the best at being humble! Just ask Sans!"

"Hey, don't drag me into this!"

Their conversation continued cheerfully as Grillby brought their plates of food out to them, and each of them was thrilled just to be in each other's presence, despite everything.

In their own ways, each of them was grateful simply to be there.

NOTE - I am so sorry this took so long to upload! With the coronavirus and university getting in the way, I haven't had much time to write! I will be posting the EPILOGUE soon! It will be short.


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue

Frisk the human began the hike up Mt. Ebott in the early morning, before anyone would notice they were gone. Their hand trailed along plants and flowers that grew along the dirt path that lead to the fabled 'Entrance to the Underground' that everyone had told them about for their entire life.

The hike was long, but not difficult, and the sun was a little higher by the time the child reached the entrance to a large cave. From outside, the cave looked completely black, but as Frisk entered, their eyes quickly adjusted to the lesser amount of light. They gasped. A large hole in the ground greeted them. Or, perhaps it was once a hole. It was now completely covered by...bones?

There was no way to move the bones, whether Frisk pulled, pushed, or stomped. Not quite sure what to do, the child stood there awkwardly. They suddenly noticed a note that had been skewered by one of the vertical bones that jutted up from below.

_Heya. If you're reading this, you probably couldn't wait to get down _

_here and cause all sorts of trouble. So let me save you the effort_

_and just make it impossible for anyone to come in. Paps thinks _

_it's selfish for me to 'doom monster kind' and 'keep us all down here_

_against our will', but I think I'm doing everyone a big favor. Besides, I'm _

_not going to be around forever. Someday, these bones will turn to dust. _

_But as long as I am breathing, I am going to keep your kind out. _

_Because you humans? _

_**You're the real monsters.**_

-END-

NOTE: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading, and I'm sorry that the epilogue is so short, but I felt it was good this way. At some point I will be releasing a follow-up story, maybe a sequel, but definitely something related to this. Have a wonderful day!


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